Musa Kart Returns to Prison After Appeal Fails

Above image from the Cartoonists Rights Network International. 

 

Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart, a frequent critic of president of Turkey Recep Erdoğan, must serve a prison term of one year and sixteen days in addition to the nine months he had been incarcerated awaiting trial. 

From the Globe Post Turkey:

A Turkish appeals court on Tuesday upheld jail sentences against opposition journalists in a long-running case targeting the Cumhuriyet newspaper — one of the few remaining dailies to oppose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Last year, 14 former Cumhuriyet staff including journalists and executives were given multiple sentences for “aiding and abetting terror groups without being a member” but they remained free pending trial.

An appeals court in Istanbul said it unanimously approved the sentences, and the Cumhuriyet reported that six former staff including cartoonist Musa Kart would have to go back to prison.

Turkey has the highest number of imprisoned journalists in the world. 

Reuters:

The staff of Cumhuriyet were charged with supporting the network of Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric Ankara holds responsible for the failed 2016 coup attempt. They have denied the charges.

Since the failed coup, more than 77,000 people have been jailed pending trial, while about 150,000 civil servants and military personnel have been sacked or suspended from their jobs. Widespread operations and arrests are still routine.